Operation Hide and Seek
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: Based off a headcanon of mine that Regina hates Hide and Seek. Emma wants to know why and recruits Henry for help in a new mission: Operation Hide and Seek. Pre SQ/SQ. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

_You pull up outside the mayoral mansion at 7 on the dot. You and Regina have worked out a proper schedule now for when you each see Henry, you both admit, though a little begrudgingly, that this system does work and makes Henry happy. Today was Regina's day. You dropped him off earlier, at the beginning you used to feel awkward, you didn't want to leave him here but now it makes you happy to see how both their faces light up and to see Regina with a genuine smile on her face. This morning was odd though, she gave her usual smile until Henry suggested they play Hide and Seek later on and a strange expression crossed her face. As you sit in the car you wonder if they did end up playing. You shake your head at the thought and wonder why this matters to you to at all. Sure, you could tell yourself it's all about whether or not the kid had a good time but that doesn't explain why you're concerned about Regina. It's probably just because she's Henry's mother, right? You don't have time to think about this now anyway, it's time to go get Henry and go home._

* * *

_You both ended up staying there for dinner. She seemed almost nervous when she asked you, well you and Henry, if you wanted to stay. You remember how she seemed almost smaller, rocking on her feet and chewing her lip as she asked, you remember saying yes in the hopes that it would make her feel better but you have no idea why seeing her that nervous upset you. Henry. That must be it, you want Henry to be happy, and that's why you agreed to dinner. As you and he drive home you ask him how the day went._

"_It was good, we played video games, she helped me with my homework even the Maths which she hates"_

"_That's good, hey weird question but did you end up playing Hide and Seek?"_

"_No, she didn't want to" he frowns "she never does anymore"_

"_Did you guys play a lot before?" his frown makes you worried._

"_Yeah, but now whenever I ask she gets this weird look on her face and we end up doing something else"_

"_A weird look?"_

"_Yeah, almost like she's scared which is silly because Evil Queens don't get scared." He still has his 10 year old black and white view of good and evil but for some reason you feel the need to defend Regina._

"_Kid, I thought we discussed the whole 'evil' thing. She isn't like that anymore is she?"_

_He thinks about it and begrudgingly mumbles "no"_

"_Right, so maybe we shouldn't call her evil anymore?"_

"_Okay I guess"_

"_Hey kid, you know everyone gets scared right? Even your mom?"_

"_I know but why would she be scared to play Hide and Seek?"_

"_I don't know" and you don't, it seems odd even to you. You try to tell yourself you're only discussing this for Henry but you realise that isn't true, you're worried about Regina. You want to help her even if it is only Hide and Seek. _

"_Ma, do you like Mom?"_

_You blush, "What?"_

"_Like as a friend?" _

_You realise he has no idea of the feelings going on your heart and you're thankful for that, you decide that maybe being friends with the brunette woman might be enough for now. "Yeah I guess" you reply to the kid._

"_Then maybe we could both help her?"_

_Now you're confused "help her do what?"_

_He scrunches his nose up as he plans what to say, something you've seen Regina do, "Help her not be scared and then we could play again. It could be our new undercover operation!" the kid's excitement over plans and operations is ridiculously adorable to you and so you can't help but indulge him a little on this. With all the drama of late an operation to make someone play Hide and Seek seems like a welcome harmless bit of fun. It is, you think, about time that Henry got a chance to do something a kid would like play a simple game with his mothers. "Okay," you say, "so how do we start?"_

* * *

_Apparently the plan starts with you being friendlier to Regina so that you can bring it up. Great plan kid you think as you walk up to the mayoral mansion. You're hoping she will accept the coffee and pastries you brought and view them as a reason not to just slam the door in your face. Admittedly you have been friendlier, well more civil, as of late but that was with Henry as a buffer, you're not entirely certain how she will react to an unscheduled visit from just you let alone a conversation about why she won't play Hide and Seek. You'll be lucky if she doesn't just laugh you out of the house, you think as you trudge up the path. You knock. No answer. Weird since her car is here. You knock again. Still no answer. Again for some reason you're worried. You hear a yelp from round the back of the house and immediately rush into the garden, you know because Henry would be worried you tell yourself though you know that isn't 100% true. You round the corner and see the ladder on the ground next to the apple tree and Regina on the grass next to it clutching her forehead with her face scrunched up in pain. You place the coffee and doughnuts you brought on a small bench and crouch down in front of her._

"_You okay?" Great opener Swan. _

"_I'm fine, it's just a small cut, why are you here?" you can tell she's lying about being fine from the tears shining in her eyes._

"_I just brought coffee, figured we could talk"_

"_About what?"_

"_Henry, whatever you wanted to talk about I guess" you're stumbling over your words and thinking that this plan is ridiculous._

"_Oh" she suddenly hisses in pain and clutches her forehead again._

"_Look, you're obviously not fine, why don't we go inside, have some coffee and I can check that cut for you?"_

"_No you don't have to do that, honestly it's nothing"_

"_I want to though"_

"_Why?"_

_You pause and eventually say "For Henry". A look crosses across her face: disappointment? Whatever it was passes quickly and she puts her walls right back up._

"_Okay, let's talk then" you hold out your hand and as she takes it you swear you feel a spark, but that's just plain silly, there's no way she likes you let alone loves you. Wait? What? Love? No way, you think, you don't love her, right? This is all for Henry. For Henry, you repeat like a mantra as you guide the slightly wobbly brunette into her kitchen. _

_You sit her down on a stool and realise that you've left the food outside. "Wait here" you say but as you run out you notice her worried expression, "I'll be back, I've just left the food outside" you say with a smile._

"_Yes that's fine" she says trying to look indifferent and failing massively. She's fidgeting with her hands and you think she looks adorable. "The coffee, Miss Swan" she reminds you as you dawdle in the doorway._

"_Right" you say and retrieve the stuff preparing yourself for the ensuing conversation._

_Before you hand her the coffee you go over to her freezer and grab some frozen peas. "What do you think you're doing?!" Her angry tone has you scolding yourself for being so presumptuous. "I just wanted to grab you some ice" you say leaning across and pressing it to the purpling bruise on her forehead, you should probably take her to the hospital for the cut but you have a feeling that she wouldn't go. "Oh" her tone softens "Well thank you". _

"_You should probably go to the hospital and get checked out" you suggest as you pass her the take out cup from Granny's. "I didn't know what to get you so I just asked Granny for your regular."_

"_I don't need a hospital Miss Swan, just a band-aid and some antiseptic"_

"_Emma"_

"_What?"_

"_If we're going to be friends I think you can call me Emma"_

_Her face scrunches up as she considers thus. "Fine, Emma. What did you want to talk to me about?"_

_You don't actually know how to segue into what you want to ask and end up blurting out "How come you won't play Hide and Seek with the kid?"_

_Her face falls a little "What?" _

"_He said you wouldn't play it with him and I wanted to know why I guess"_

_She gives you a small shrug and says "well maybe I just didn't want to play it that day"_

_She's lying. "Well would you play it with him tomorrow?"_

_That expression again. Henry was right. She looks afraid. She also doesn't answer you, just stares into her coffee instead. _

"_Well?"_

"_Thank you for the latte Emma" she says and stands in a way that lets you know this conversation is over. She's rocking on her feet again which you know is a bad idea given her head but clearly she doesn't. You see it coming and rush out of your seat catching her as she faints. Well, Operation Hide and Seek is off to a great start you think bitterly as you carry the now unconscious brunette out to your car and start the drive to the hospital._

* * *

_Regina remains unconscious the whole time that you speed your way through town, you probably should obey the speed limits but hey you want to get her to the hospital and after all you are the Sheriff so you feel you can probably make an exception today. You pull the other woman into your arms and drop a kiss to her forehead before whispering "you'll be alright" and carry her indoors._

* * *

_It's only after you've left Regina under the care of a doctor that you realise that you kissed the brunette. You kissed her. Admittedly she was unconscious so she won't be too mad, you think. You're not entirely certain why you did it until you realise you were trying to comfort her, "but she wasn't even aware so it's not like she was even worried" you think. You want to look after her, you wanted to reassure her even though she probably couldn't hear you, you're beginning to realise that your worries about the Hide and Seek thing might be more than just because she's Henry's mother. Oh crap. Henry. How the hell do you tell him that a) Part 1 of the Operation so far has been a colossal failure and b) that you might like his mom? Plus you know Henry. Once he gets swept up in one of his operations it's pretty much all he thinks and talks about so it's not like you'll be able to avoid thinking or talking about it. "Wow, I'm really messing this up so far" you think as you wait for a doctor to emerge and give you some news about Regina. You hate hospitals and sitting here waiting just makes you uneasy. Finally he comes out and you're up on your feet straightaway. _

"_How is she?" _

"_Nothing to worry about Sheriff Swan, she needed stitches for the cut but I see no signs of a concussion, however, to be on the safe side I'd rather she had someone to take care of her for the next 24 hours to make sure there are no serious symptoms"_

"_Like what?"_

"_Memory loss, dizziness, balance issues and nausea. Her current next of kin is Henry but obviously he can't take care of her"_

"_I'll do it"_

_He seems as surprised as you are by your words, "Are you sure Sheriff?"_

_You realise you can't really get out of this now, "Yes is she awake?"_

"_Yes, I'll get a nurse to draw up the discharge papers and then you can leave"_

"_Okay, thank you"_

_He leaves and you take a deep breath preparing yourself to face Regina who you assume must be furious but you enter the room to see the woman with her head bowed and shoulders shaking. What the hell? As you walk in she looks and up and you see that she is crying, you feel your heart clench and want nothing more than to wrap your arms around the very fragile woman but you sense she wouldn't like that so instead you walk over and squeeze her shoulder._

"_Hey, you okay?"_

_She sniffs and tries to get a hold of the tears, "Fine Emma, guess you were right about needing to go to the hospital" her attempt at humour is downplayed by the fact that she is still crying._

_You realise you hate seeing her do so and suddenly wrap an arm around her shoulders. "What are you doing?"_

"_Regina, you're sitting here crying, what kind of friend would I be if I just stood here and watched?"_

_She gives you a small smile and leans into you a little. "Thank you"_

"_Do you mind if I ask you something?"_

_You feel her stiffen a little, "What?"_

"_Earlier, when I asked you about Hide and Seek, why didn't you answer my question?"_

"_I did, I said I didn't want to play"_

"_You didn't say why"_

_She doesn't reply, instead she looks down at her feet which you now realise are bare, her shoes having come off either in the fall or in Emma's rush to get her to the hospital. She looks back up to you, "Why does it matter?"_

_You pause for a moment before saying "Henry likes"_

"_Stop doing that!" she interrupts. _

_You pull back for a second stunned by her outburst, "What?"_

"_Stop hiding behind Henry or is he really the only reason you're here because if so you can just go" she starts to pull away from you and you realise why she was upset and why she looked disappointed earlier. She thought you had come over just because you wanted to see her (and if you're honest with yourself that is a little true) and now she thinks you only care about this because of the kid. You pull her back closer to you, take a deep breath and say "Henry isn't the only reason" _

_The smile she gives you in return is enough for you to decide that maybe there is hope for Operation Hide and Seek after all. _


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hi, sorry forgot to put this on the 1st chapter, that first chapter was actually the first 3 parts of the story, this is part 4, it went longer than I expected but has Emma/Henry/Regina family time. I still don't own Once or it's characters. I also apologise for any grammar issues I don't really understand commas and my Microsoft Word is a bit insane on its spellcheck. Anyway, on with the story.

_You drive Regina back to her house and upon entering see that you need to leave and get Henry from school. You turn back through the open front door "Emma?" her tone is shaky, worried, you wonder once again what the woman is scared of. You turn to face her and see she's doing that lip biting thing again and looking down at her feet. You walk over and tilt her face up so you can look her in the eye. "I'm just going to go and get Henry from school, pick up some food from Granny's and then I'll be back here okay?" _

"_Okay" she says but you catch the look on her face and you realise where you know it from: it's the same one she had when you all left her at Gold's shop after you got back from the Enchanted Forest, it's the same one as when you all left her behind at the well. The realisation smacks you in the face; she thinks you're leaving her behind again. You sigh. "Do you want to come along?" A hopeful smile graces her face and she nods. _

"_Okay then, well we better get going" she starts to follow before you turn and stop her, "you might want to put some shoes on first though" at that she looks back at her feet before laughing at the fact that they are indeed still bare. Your heart swells at the sound of that laugh and you decide that you need to hear it more often. Crap. Well done Emma. Great job at denial here. Screw it. Forget this denial crap. Right, you think if you're going to accept that you like the woman then you need to talk to Henry first. Time for a new phase of Operation Hide and Seek you think with a smile to yourself as you usher the brunette back out to the bug._

* * *

_To say Henry was surprised to see us together would be an understatement. You wondered briefly if the kid's jaw was going to come back up off the floor. His surprise quickly changed to concern when he noticed the bandage on Regina's head. As you drive them both to Granny's listening to her reassure Henry that she is fine and then ask about school you realise just how good a kid he is. A few months ago he was convinced that she was evil incarnate and you know he still worries about that yet he is still concerned about her. You know he must miss her. The car drive also fills you with warmth that you don't understand until you notice the matching twin smiles on Regina and Henry's faces as they ask if you want to just eat at Granny's rather than do take-out and you realise what that feeling is: family. You want it all the time, you realise. Damn. You really need to talk to Henry but the question is when? Since you picked him up he won't leave Regina alone and when you sit yourselves down in the booth he pretty much glues himself to her like a limpet. You expect to feel jealous seeing him so attached to her, so keen to be with her but you don't. You just feel happy._

* * *

_You all end up at Granny's way longer than you thought. Conversation went easily and smoothly like you had been doing this for years. You see Regina yawn and look at the clock to see that you've all been there for nearly two hours. You take a look at Regina again to see her try and stifle another yawn and rub her forehead, you feel like an idiot as you realise that two hours under the bright lights of the diner have probably done her head no good. She catches you looking and mouths "I'm fine" but you can see straight through that one. "Come on kid, let's get you guys home"_

_He looks as if he's going to protest before taking a look at his brunette mother who looks like she's trying not to fall asleep right there. He comes over to your side and whispers in your ear "Can we stay with her tonight?"_

"_Yeah kid, I promised her that earlier" _

_He looks confused as to why you would promise that so you add "The doctor said she needs someone to look after her". He gives you a look that you swear just screams "yeah right" before grabbing his coat. At that Regina looks up and gives you a small smile before mouthing "thank you". You don't even think about it, you reach out for her hand and help her stand, she doesn't stop you and instead lets you walk her out of the diner and into your car._

* * *

_She fell asleep in the car which you think is utterly adorable. Henry runs out of the car to get the door open as you attempt to get her out of your bug without waking her. You fail and she stirs in your arms. Good job Emma you think before looking at Regina who's staring up at you confused and sleepy. You tell her to go back to sleep and carry her into the house. You take her upstairs and find her bedroom before laying her down on the bed, taking her coat off and placing a blanket over her. You kiss her on the forehead again before tiptoeing out of the room. Right. Now downstairs to face Henry you think as you attempt to figure out what you're going to say to him._

* * *

_He's waiting in the living room with a very serious expression on his face. _

"_Penny for your thoughts kid?" you say sitting down beside him. _

"_Huh?" _

"_Just wondering what's on your mind." _

"_Oh, what happened today? Did you ask her? How did she get hurt? Did you get her to agree to play? Do you like her?" _

"_Woah, Henry slow down with the questions" Jeez, it's like facing an inquisition, you think and then suddenly realise his last question "Do you like her?" and wonder what he means. You take a breath and figure out how to ask his questions_

"_Right, okay, well I came over to bring your mom coffee so we could talk when I heard a noise in the back garden, your mom had fallen off a ladder but don't worry she's alright. We came into the kitchen to talk and I did ask but she said no" at this his face falls. "I think you're right though" he raises an eyebrow in confusion before you continue "about her being scared I mean but before I could ask her why she didn't want to play Hide and Seek she sort of fainted"_

"_What?! She didn't tell me that. Is she okay?" again you are so proud of this kid for being worried and are quick to reassure him, "yes Henry, she needed a couple of stitches which is why she had a bandage on but the doctor says she probably doesn't have a concussion and he let me take her home as long as I promised to look after her for 24 hours just to make sure she was alright" you leave out the conversation you and Regina had at the hospital as well as the one before you left to pick him up. _

"_Good" you hear him breathe out a sigh of relief. _

"_There's more kid", you gulp before continuing "I like your mom"_

"_I know you said so in the car this morning"_

"_I mean in a more than a friend sort of way" you prepare yourself for an outburst of anger or betrayal from the kid and perhaps an argument about her being the evil queen again but it doesn't come. Instead he claps his hands and hugs you._

"_I know Ma."_

"_What?"_

"_I knew you liked her. This is perfect. Operation Hide and Seek will definitely work now, you can help her then she'll know you like her too" he says with a smile. _

"_Hold on kid, what do you mean 'like her too'?" _

"_I think Mom likes you, she gets nervous around you and she let you look after her, she never lets anyone do that" he says with a knowing smile. _

_You smile as you realise what he said was true. She likes you too. You like her. Henry is okay with it. _

"_So what do I do?" you ask feeling slightly foolish asking a 10 year old kid for dating advice but there's no way you're about to ask Snow how to go about getting Regina to open up to her._

"_We continue Operation Hide and Seek because I still want to play and now I know you like her we could try and get her to play a game, the three of us"_

"_Sounds like a nice idea Henry, but we still need to figure out why she won't play" he frowns "hey don't worry, I'll figure that one out, you focus on the fun part of Operation Hide and Seek. I'm going to check on your mom" he nods and smiles at you. _

_As you trudge up the stairs you smile at Henry's acceptance of even the notion of her and Regina and are once again grateful that she raised him to be so mature and tolerant. As you walk down the hallway you decide that if you can find a way to make Henry and Regina happy then Operation Hide and Seek is definitely worth continuing. _


	3. Chapter 3

AN: This part is a bit shorter but I decided to end it there, next chapter should be up in the next couple of days. Definite SQ in this part. Hope you enjoy :)

_You walk into the room and see that Regina clearly fidgets in her sleep, the blanket you placed over her earlier is half over one of her legs and half on the floor and the woman herself is half hanging off the bed. You smile at this. You walk over and gently shake her awake, you notice that she and Henry have the same groggy "Why the hell have you woken me up?!" look. "How are you feeling?" you ask. _

"_I'm alright, just tired" she replies. _

"_Okay" you gently roll the woman back into her bed because dangling half out of it cannot be all that comfortable. She gives you an odd look, "Emma what are you doing?" You smile at her, "Well as much as I'd love another rush to the emergency room I'd rather you didn't fall out of bed and injure yourself any further". You watch her process this and a smile appears on her face, "thank you Emma". You're so busy wondering what the hell to say next that you don't notice her deliberating with herself before quickly launching herself at you and the next thing you know her lips are on yours. Wow, you think. We are doing this more often. You wrap your arms around her as you feel her hands go around the back of your neck as she kisses you again. It's soft and sweet and makes your mind go completely fuzzy. You pull away from her a little to see her smile at you as she says, "I was getting bored of just feeling your lips on my forehead". You look confused before realising that she did indeed feel the kiss you gave her at the hospital and the one when you put her to bed. Crap. So much for subtlety Swan. You see she's still looking at you. Oh crap. Come on Emma. Say something! Your mind is drawing a complete blank, all you can think about is her lips on yours so you simply kiss her again. As she rests her head on yours you notice how tired she is, you gently push her back into the bed and whisper "Get some more sleep" before getting up. She grabs your hand, "Can you stay?" You want to, but Henry's downstairs and you need to make sure he hasn't stuffed himself full of Skips and Skittles. You lean over, kiss her again and brush her hair away from her face, "Later, I'll be just downstairs with Henry but as soon he goes to bed I'll come back okay?" She stifles a yawn and mumbles "Okay, goodnight Emma". "Goodnight Regina" _

_You watch her fall asleep and sit by her side just watching her fidget and frown in her sleep before settling into a peaceful slumber with a small smile on her face. You stay there for a few minutes before you remember that you need to go check on Henry._

* * *

_You get downstairs to see Henry scanning through the DVDs before picking up The Incredibles. He notices you come in, "Hey ma, can we watch this?" _

"_Sure" you reply._

"_How was she? Did you ask her?" he asks as he slides the DVD in._

_Oh crap. You didn't ask her about Hide and Seek because you were a bit preoccupied with all the kissing going on up there, you're not about to tell Henry that though. _

"_Uh no, sorry kid I forgot to ask, she's really tired so I figured I'd wait until morning to ask her again"_

_He looks a little disappointed. "Why were you up there so long?"_

"_No reason, I was just checking she was alright is all" you don't even believe that one and from what you can tell neither does Henry. He seems to have got his perceptiveness from Regina rather than you and so simply raises a knowing eyebrow before saying, "Fine, don't tell me but if you want my help with Operation Hide and Seek we need to share details and relevant information so we can form a plan"_

_You marvel at the kid's logic and the sneakiness. He's pretty much blackmailing you into telling him because he knows you do sort of need his help on this particular mission. You roll your eyes before turning to Henry and saying "Fine smart guy, we kissed. Happy?" You're fairly certain the smile he gives you at that sentence could light up the town. _

"_So," you ask, "what's the next stage of Operation Hide and Seek then?"_

_He gives you a 'Well duh' sort of expression before saying, "You need to take her on a date, then you could ask her to play the game with you whilst you're out together and then she'll play it with me"_

_You mull this over. It's actually a pretty good plan, you get to take Regina on a date, you might find out what exactly her hang up is with the damn game, you might get her to play, plus if you get her to play it with Henry they'll both be happy. You look over to him, he's practically bouncing up and down with excitement, "Jeez, kid calm down" you ruffle his hair. "I love you Henry" you say. "Love you too Ma", he shrugs away your hand, "so you going to do it?" You realise he's talking about the plan again. You smile at him._

"_Yes."_


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Okay, well firstly thank you to everyone who is reading/following the story, it really helps me get my ass in gear and write! This chapter might just be the longest one yet! Lots of fluff in this bit. I still do not own the characters or the show. Hope you all enjoy this chapter :)

_After finishing The Incredibles, which you have to admit is an awesome film, Henry had finally conked out, you didn't want to wake him so you carried him upstairs and tucked him whispering "Goodnight Henry" before tiptoeing out of the room. You want to go straight into Regina's room, you know just to check in on her, but you have a feeling she'll be pissed if you leave her living room as it is until morning. _

_You tidy up at record speed before checking the house is all locked up and that all the lights are off. As you reach the stairs you suddenly realise you have no idea where you're going to sleep. You want to stay with Regina but you don't really want to overstep so you figure you'll check on her then go find a guestroom. In a house this big, you're assuming there is at least one._

_You walk into her bedroom and she stirs slightly as you enter. You notice that at some point she must have gotten up as she is now in a pair of silk pyjamas. You try to be as quiet as possible but walk straight into a chair. "Shit" you hiss, your knee smacked straight into that one. "Emma?" Crap. So much for coming in quietly. You gingerly get up and give an apologetic smile, "Hey, sorry to wake you up, how are you feeling?" you say as you perch on the end of the bed. "It's okay," she sits up, obviously still a bit groggy, "I'm okay, is Henry asleep?" "Yeah, I just put him down" She starts to get up and wobbles still a little unsteady. You reach up and grab her arm, "Where are you going? You need to rest Regina" "I just want to go check on Henry" "He's fine Regina" you say as you attempt to guide her back into bed. She's having none of it, "Emma" she says insistently, "I'm going to check on him" she pulls away from your grasp and moves out of the door quicker than you would have expected. Well, at least that means she's feeling better, you think before you hear a thud from the hallway. _

_You rush out in a panic and see her moving herself to a sitting position against the wall. You crouch down beside her and place your hand on her arm. "You okay? What happened?" you ask as you check for any obvious injuries. "I'm fine. I just lost my balance a little" she replies clearly frustrated either with you or herself, you're not really sure. You give her a small smile before helping her stand, "You see why I said you should stay in bed?" you ask hoping your concern doesn't irritate her more as you move to take her back into her bedroom before she stops and says "Emma, Henry." "What?" "I want to check on Henry" "Seriously, Regina you need to get back in bed" "Not until I see Henry", you're beginning to get impatient, you get that the woman wants to check on Henry and you love that she is that good a mom but right now you just want to stop the woman doing any more damage to herself. You take a deep breath preparing yourself to reason with her, "Regina" she stops you before you can even start, "Please" it comes out as little more than a whisper. You look at her and see she is on the verge of tears, "I just want to see my son" she says and at that you could not feel worse. You realise just how desperate she is for any chance to see Henry now. "Okay," you say, "how about I make you a deal?" "A deal?" she looks at you confusedly. "Yeah, I will take you in there to see Henry for one minute and then you are going straight back to your room and going to sleep, you're also going to take it easy tomorrow" you finish. She looks at you clearly not happy with the terms and clearly annoyed by your suggestion that she take it easy, you remember Henry's words and wonder how long it's been since someone else has actually taken care of her. You decide you want to be the one to do that, "I'll sweeten the deal" you say, she raises a brow to suggest you continue. "You agree to let me take care of you tomorrow and I will make any breakfast you want" She considers this, "Even apple pancakes?" she asks hopefully. You're just glad she picked something you actually know how to cook. "Yeah, so deal?" she leans in and kisses you, and boy could you get used to that, "Deal" she says._

* * *

_You wait outside while she checks on Henry and ponder your relationship with Regina. The two of you kissed. But what does that mean? Is it just some sort of after effect of being knocked on the head or does she want to be with you? Henry said she likes you. Oh wow. Henry. The pair of you share a son. If she doesn't want to be with you then that is going to be so awfully awkward. Then again, she did kiss you so maybe she does want to be with you. You lean against the wall and realise that you are just driving yourself crazy going round in circles like this. She comes out of the room gently shutting the door. "Happy?" you asks. She nods and lets you walk her back to her room. You lay her down on the bed and sit awkwardly next to her. "Do you want me to go to a guestroom?" you stare down at your hands unsure of where you stand with her right now. She suddenly grabs your arm and pulls you down so that you're lying on your side facing her. "No," she whispers, "I want you here with me" those five words make you smile so much that you're worried your face might actually burst. Your wrap your arms around her, you initiate the kiss this time. She looks at you, "So, you'll stay?" she looks scared. "Yeah, I'll stay. I'll stay whenever you want" you promise her and you realise that you will. She stills looks uncertain. You don't know how to make her realise that you don't want to go anywhere so you settle for drawing random patterns on her back until she falls asleep in your arms._

* * *

_You wake up to an empty bed and for a moment you panic that it was all just a dream but then you register your surroundings and realise that yesterday did indeed happen. You fall back onto the pillows with a smile on your face. You realise that Regina must be up already, you can't hear her in the bathroom so you assume she's downstairs. Well you guess you can't just languish in bed forever. You promised Regina pancakes and promised Henry that you would a) take her out and b) get her to play Hide and Seek. It's going to be a busy day, you think to yourself as you pad downstairs._

* * *

_You stop outside the kitchen and see Henry and Regina sitting at the table, her with a coffee, and he with a juice. You know she should go in but Henry's voice stops you._

"_Why are waiting again?"_

"_Because Emma promised she would make breakfast" your smile grows at that. She's holding you to your promise, which should make you panic because it's oh so domestic but you don't, and she's waiting for you. _

"_What's she making?"_

_You hear her laugh as she says, "Well, she's making me pancakes, I don't know what she's making you" _

_You hear your son laugh, "Cereal probably", there's a pause before he speaks up again, "Mom, can I ask you something?"_

"_Sure, sweetheart you can ask me anything"_

"_And you promise you'll tell the truth?" one day the kid would make a great interrogator you think. _

"_Yes, I promise Henry, I'll be honest with you"_

"_Do you like Ma?"_

_You hear a pause, "Yes, very much" you release a breath you didn't realise you were holding. You decide now is a good time to enter._

"_Good morning" you're greeted by twin smiles and a twin chorus of "Good morning Emma". You kiss Henry on the forehead before walking around the table and doing the same to Regina. She smiles and kisses you on the lips. "Ew. I'm happy you guys are together but do I really need to see it at the breakfast table?" You laugh at the scolding tone of your son, "Sorry, kid, get used to being grossed out" you look down at Regina hoping she's in agreement. She nods and says, "Henry, honey, I'm afraid you're just going to have to adjust to having your ma and me be with each other but we'll try not to gross you out too much." "Yeah?" he asks. "Yes," she says, "besides your mother has pancakes to make"_

* * *

_You end up doing pancakes for three, all with apple and cinnamon, you hold Regina's hand under the table and even though you only kissed her yesterday it feels just right. You wish you hadn't wasted so much time. You want to spend all your mornings with her and your son. You notice Henry giving you a look across the table. "What?" you mouth to him. "Operation Hide and Seek" he mouths back. "What about it?" you mouth. "Next phase, ma" he mouths with a roll of the eyes. Fine, you think. You take a breath and look to Regina who is currently absorbed in pancakes and syrup in a way that you could never possibly have imagined she would be. _

"_Hey, Regina"_

_She looks up at you. Henry scoffs at your, admittedly lame, way of starting the conversation._

"_Okay, I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me?" _

"_Like a date?" she asks. _

"_God you two are dense sometimes" Henry says. _

"_Hey" you and Regina say in unison._

"_Sorry, I love you guys but you are. Mom, Ma wants to date you and Ma, Mom wants to date you so get on with it so we can move in here and be together all the time"_

_You stare open-mouthed at your son. That audacity is totally Regina. She recovers first. "You want to move in here?" she asks, sounding almost afraid to be hopeful. You squeeze her hand, hoping that comforts her a little. "Yeah, you me and Ma" he says. You don't want to scare her off with your eagerness to and are about to try and move the kid away from the topic before she fixes you with a look and says, "Do you want that Emma?" "Yes!" you blurt out without thinking before covering your mouth with your hand feeling embarrassed. _

_You swear the smile she gives you could power Storybrooke for days on end. She kisses you despite your son's protests and says "When?" _

"_I would say now," you say, turning her so she faces you and resting your hands on her waist, "but, I don't' want to go too fast so maybe if we wait a couple of weeks?" She looks a little disappointed and chews her lip for a second before you tilt her head up so you're looking in her the eye, "but I swear at the end of those two weeks me and the kid are going to race over here and you won't be able to get us to leave" she looks at you uncertainly. "Seriously Regina, if you ever wanted us to go then you would have to hire expert scientists because I would have magic-glued myself to this place" "Me too!" Henry pipes up. She gives a slightly watery smile, "Okay, I guess I can wait two weeks and I would never ask you to go" she says which reassures you. _

"_Awesome" Henry says, "Does this mean we can play Hide and Seek now mom?" _

_At his question you feel her tense in your arms, you can feel her breath hitch and she looks at you as if you can get her out of this but you want to know her answer so you simply hold her and wait._

_Henry is not so patient. "Well, can we?"_

AN: Felt that was a good place to finish this chapter otherwise this one could have gone on for ever and ever and I decided I wanted to give you guys an update. I promise that in either the next chapter or the one after it you will find out why Regina doesn't want to play.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Okay here's another chapter, hope you guys like it, this one has a little bit more angstiness in it but it is necessary for the master plan that has formed in the crazy writing part of my brain. I still own neither Once or its characters.

_She doesn't say anything. She goes completely still in your arms before she suddenly starts shaking her head. Too hard. You remember her head injury and move your hands to hold her head steady to stop her giving herself a headache. _

"_Regina?" you ask tentatively. You look into her eyes and you can see that she is terrified. Your heart breaks a little at the sight. You don't want her to be scared. You want to make this better. _

_She's facing you which means Henry cannot see this look. _

_Oblivious to his mom's panic he pushes again before you can stop, "Mom," his tone impatient "I asked if we could play Hide and Seek today"_

_She starts to tremble in your arms and starts whispering the word "no" over and over. _

"_Regina?" you ask again. You decide to step in, "Hey, Henry, maybe just you and I could play together today? Let your mom rest for a bit?" you're trying to come up with a solution that please everyone but the look he gives you is one of such disappointment and betrayal that you could not feel worse. That is until he says "Forget it" and storms out of the room. _

_You look at Regina about to ask what the hell just happened when you see that she is actually crying. "Regina? Honey? Are you okay?" you tone is gentle as you pull her closer to you. "Please" she whimpers. "Please what?" you're confused. "Please don't make me play" she whispers as she clings to you. You kiss her on the forehead, "I won't make you but I want you to play as well" she looks at you frantically and just says "no" again. _

_You want to be patient, you do but you are so confused right now. This morning had gone so well, now the kid is pissed and Regina just keeps refusing and won't tell you why. You want to make her happy, you want to make Henry happy and right now you don't know how to do that. It would help if the woman could just tell you what the big deal is with Hide and Seek. "Why?" you ask surprised at your tone which is more forceful than you intended. She actually looks scared and just says "I can't"_

_You sigh, "Why not?"_

"_Emma please just drop this" she's edging away from you. You grab her arms to stop her. "No" _

"_Why does this even matter?" she asks exasperated. _

"_Because I care about Henry and all he wants right now is to play Hide and Seek with his mom, and because I care about you and for some reason you get totally weird whenever we bring up a child's game. For crap's sake Regina, I just want to make the pair of you happy and for some reason you won't let me" _

"_I'm sorry" is all she whispers as she too runs out of the room leaving you in the kitchen to wonder how this morning ended up like this. You know that Henry is upset because he feels like you just gave up on Operation Hide and Seek but you haven't. You need to let him know that. You go over what you just said to Regina and realise why she rushed out of here, you blamed her. You feel guilty for upsetting her but damn it you just want to help, you want her to trust you enough to tell you why. You realise that you also promised her and the doctor that you would keep an eye on her today. Crap. This is going to be awkward. You take a deep breath and decide to go talk to Henry first, you need him to understand that the plan is still going to continue, it might just need a bit of re-working._

* * *

_You trudge up the stairs and knock on Henry's door. "Go away" you hear. Yeah right kid. You walk in anyway. "I said go away" he says not looking at you._

"_Yeah, well I needed to talk to you"_

"_I don't want to talk to you"_

"_Fine, just listen then. Henry I know that you feel like I let you down this morning and I'm sorry. I'm not giving up on Operation Hide and Seek, but kid you didn't see your mom this morning, she looked terrified and I just figured maybe we slow the plan down a little until we find out why she's so scared." You take a breath before continuing, "I love your mom kid and I want to make her happy and protect her but I can't do that until I know what's wrong. I know you want to play but for today let her just rest and relax and then maybe we'll try again in a couple of days okay?"_

_He chews his lip considering what you've said, "Okay, we'll slow it down but not too slow ma. I was worried that she just didn't want to play with me" he adds looking down._

"_Oh Henry" you say and tilt his head up to look at you, "She loves you kid and her problem with Hide and Seek has nothing to do with you. If you still want to play I'll play a game with you later okay?"_

"_Okay, what do you think the reason is?"_

"_I don't know, she won't tell me" _

"_Is that why you were fighting?" at your surprised expression he says "I heard you yelling and heard mom run upstairs"_

"_Oh, yeah don't worry about that kid, I guess I was just frustrated" _

"_She'll tell you eventually ma, you love her and she loves you"_

"_Whoa kid" you interrupt, "Love?"_

"_Yeah, you just said earlier that you love her and she invited us to move in so she must love you too and if she does that means she'll tell you"_

_You smile, "yeah kid you're right, get dressed I'm going to go make sure your mom's okay"_

"_Good luck Emma" he says as you leave._

_Yeah you think you might just need that._

* * *

_You walk cautiously down the hall hoping that you haven't screwed things up with her so soon. The talk with Henry went well at least. You open the bedroom door to see her sitting on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, her head resting on top of them while she cries. She sees you. "Get out" _

_You simply say "No" and close the door behind you as you sit down next to her. _

"_I don't want to talk to you"_

"_Fine then you can listen because whether you want to hear it not I'm sorry if I upset you but all I want is for you to trust me enough to tell me why you won't play. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do."_

"_Then please don't make me tell you"_

_You run your hand through your hair, "I would drop it you know but there are two reasons why I can't. The first is Henry, he thinks you won't play because of him and I know that's not true. He just wants to play a game with his mom Regina." _

_You pause. She looks at you and says "I love him Emma I really do, he isn't the reason"_

"_I know"_

"_You said there were two reasons why you're not letting this go. What's the second one?"_

_You turn and look her in the eye. "You"_

"_Me?"_

"_Yeah, I've seen the look on your face when me and Henry ask you Regina. You look terrified. I love you and I never want to see you scared and if you are then I want to know why so I can help you through it" _

_She looks at you wide eyed "You love me?" _

_You realise what you just admitted to, "Yes" _

_She smiles before kissing you passionately. This goes on until you're both breathless, your arms around her waist, hers around your neck, she rests her head against yours and whispers "I love you too"_

_Those words normally make you panic but you're surprised when you realise that they aren't kick-starting your impulse to run and flee from commitment. They just make you happy. Coming from her they feel right. You smile to yourself. You see her clearly thinking something over before she takes a deep breath and looks at you before saying "I don't want to play Hide and Seek"_

"_I know" you say, you move your hands to hold hers hoping this encourages her to continue. She squeezes your hands gently before releasing a shaky breath. She looks at you, tears glistening in her honey brown eyes before whispering "I don't want you to leave me"_


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Hello again. Couldn't write yesterday as I had to pack but here is the next part. You do find out the reason why Regina won't play. Hope you're not disappointed by it. I don't know how many more chapters of this there will be, we shall play by ear. Hope you like this chapter.

_You swear you can practically feel your heart breaking a little at the other woman's terrified words, "I don't want you to leave me". Those words ricochet around your brain. You don't understand. Does she think you're going to leave if she tells you? _

"_I'm not going to leave you if you tell me why"_

_She shakes her head. "No. That's the reason"_

_You're confused. "What? I don't understand"_

_She shakes her head, sighs and mumbles "Forget it"_

_That is not what you want. You put an arm around her shoulders and draw her closer to you, "No, it's just I don't understand what you mean"_

_She leans into you and you move your hand so it draws circles on her back. She sighs before she starts talking, you watch how her touch brushes over her teeth and lip as she considers what to say, "I don't want you to leave me" she repeats._

_You stay silent, waiting for her to continue._

"_I used to play with Henry before he got the book. It used to be fun, looking for him and having him pop out of hiding places to surprise me." She pauses, smiling at the memory. _

"_So why can't we play now?"_

_She looks up at you, "Because now everyone leaves and they don't come back" _

_You don't know what to say to that. "What?" you need her to explain._

"_After the curse and the wraith you left and I couldn't find you or get to you and Henry left and didn't want to see me. Then at the Stables David took Henry and left but didn't come back. At the well I did what Henry wanted, I got you and Snow back and that curse Emma, it hurt so much but I wanted to get you back, and then at Gold's shop you all left again. Then with Archie I thought things were going to be better but then my mother did what she did and then you turned your back on me and no-one even came to find me. Then you left for Manhattan and didn't even tell me. Then after my mother died at that well all I was doing was trying to stop Henry from blowing himself up and I gave up that spell because I wanted him to be happy and you all left me again. Everyone leaves me Emma and no-one ever comes back." She pauses to take a breath._

_You can't believe what you've heard, you had no idea the affect all of this had had on the woman and it clicks in your brain why she doesn't want to play. She doesn't want to be left behind again. You kiss her gently on the top of her hair and start brushing the tears away from her cheeks, "So," you say, "You don't want to play Hide and Seek because you don't want to get left behind again." You think you might actually cry at the hurt you've unintentionally caused her, god you didn't even realise the amount of the pain the woman must have been in when she sucked in that curse. She did that for you, you think, you and Henry. She must love you. You smile a little when you realise this then quickly turn your attention to her when she starts to properly cry as she says "yes"_

"_Oh god, Gina I'm so sorry. I didn't realise that all of that had that kind of affect you, I never meant to hurt you, you know and crap I'm just so sorry that I did" you started to cry as you said this. You hope she doesn't notice. She does._

"_Emma please don't cry. I didn't want to upset you. I'm sorry"_

"_No", you say as you wrap her arms around her, "Don't be sorry. I'm really glad you told me. I'm just upset because I don't want to see you hurt ever and I promise you I'm never going to leave you, okay? I love you"_

_She smiles and burrows a little into your shoulder, "I love you too" she says clinging to you. _

_You sit like that for a while and you rock the pair of you as she cries. You whisper reassuring words while you run your fingers through her hair until she falls asleep. You lay her down into the bed and cover her with a blanket. You place another kiss on her forehead and watch her sleep for a few minutes. _

_As you sit there, you think about the plan you and Henry had cooked up. Part of you wants to stop Operation Hide and Seek because you don't want to upset Regina. A bigger part of you, however refuses to. You love her, you think, and after hearing her reason for not playing, you need to fix this. You aren't going to leave her behind and she needs to know that. No, you think, as you get up to change, no abandoning the plan, instead it's time to kick it up a notch._

_You shrug on a tank top and a pair of jeans. Right, you remember that you promised to play Hide and Seek with Henry so you're going to do that and then update him on the plan._

* * *

_Regina is sitting in the living room with Henry. You and he played Hide and Seek around the house for a good couple of hours. It turns out a mansion is a pretty damn good place for finding hiding spots. On one of your turns it actually took you 35 minutes to find him before you discovered him hiding in the laundry basket of a guest room. Regina came downstairs about half an hour ago in yoga pants and a sweatshirt to find you crouched down underneath her desk. You've never seen her look so casual, she looks gorgeous you think. _

"_Emma? Henry?" she asks not noticing you a few metres away. _

_You creep out from behind the desk and crawl across the room, she has turned around to look into the hallway so has her back to you when you suddenly wrap your arms around her and yell "BOO!"_

_She actually shrieks before turning to see it's you. "Emma!" she chastises slapping you in the chest. _

"_Sorry" you say kissing her, "Couldn't resist surprising you"_

_Henry comes round the corner to see you making out with his mom. "Awful hiding spot Ma"_

_You pull away and say "Game over kid, you win, why don't you and your mom pick out a movie while I make some lunch?"_

"_Okay" he says and pulls Regina into the living room. _

_You end up making Spaghetti Hoops and toast. You're hoping that Regina is up for dinner at Granny's again because dinner is not exactly your strong suit. Both Regina and Henry laugh when you walk in with the meal claiming it to be your finest cuisine (in all fairness it is)._

* * *

_After A Bug's Life Regina goes upstairs to take a bath, she agreed to Granny's for dinner but refuses to go in her comfy clothes. _

_Once she's out of the room, Henry turns to you and says "So did she tell you why?"_

"_Yes kid," you pause, you're not sure the best way to sum it up for an 11 year old. You take a deep breath. "Okay Henry, basically after everything that has happened in the past year your mom doesn't want to be left behind again"_

_He looks confused. _

"_In Hide and Seek you have to hide from people and wait for them to find you. I think your mom is scared that nobody will want to find her or that they'll just leave her. I don't think she wants to have to be the one looking for people either"_

_You see that he's crying._

"_Hey, Henry, don't cry, come here" you say and pull him in for a hug._

"_It's all my fault" he says._

"_No it isn't Henry, it's all of our faults but you and I are going to fix this for her"_

_He looks at you "How?"_

"_With the next phase of Operation Hide and Seek"_

AN 2: Spaghetti Hoops is pretty much the basis of my culinary expertise. Also Bug's Life is an awesome movie.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: This chapter is quite fluffy, Emma tells Snow and Charming. I still don't own the show or the characters. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and followed this story. Hope you like this chapter :)

_It's been a week and you and Henry are having dinner at Snow and Charmings. You and he had ended up at Regina's every night this week and barring one night had stayed over. You were going to go to her place again tonight but Snow had called saying that she missed you and Henry and if you guys could actually have dinner with them. You have a feeling that she was attempting to guilt you but you want to spend all of your time at Regina's so it's difficult to feel badly about spending all your time at the mansion. Henry even calls the place 'home' again. _

_You're both in the living room playing Mario Kart whilst Snow and Charming put the finishing touches on dinner._

"_Hey ma" he whispers._

"_Yeah kid" _

"_Are we staying here tonight?" _

_You frown a little, "yeah kid, guess so" _

"_I wish it could be next week" he, like you and Regina, has not forgotten the promise made over pancakes to move into the mansion._

_You smile, "Me too kid, we'll go back over there tomorrow."_

"_Promise?" he says holding out his little finger._

_You link your little finger around his, "Promise" _

"_Hey, are you going to tell them tonight?" _

_You nod, you're not particularly looking forward to this conversation. You're not exactly sure how they will react to you shacking up with Regina. _

"_How are the preparations going for the final phase of Operation Hide and Seek?" he asks. _

"_Good kid, I spoke to Ruby today and she said she and Granny have managed to get everyone on board."_

"_Really? Even Grandma and Grandpa?" _

"_Yeah, though I may have had to use you to convince them" _

_He rolls his eyes and laughs, "Well whatever works" _

"_Yep" your conversation comes to an end as Snow calls you into dinner._

* * *

_Dinner went well and Henry thankfully did not bring up you and Regina. You ideally want to wait until he is in bed before you have to start what is bound to be an interesting/uncomfortable/awkward conversation. Your phone vibrates in your pocket. You sneak a furtive glance around the table, Snow and Charming are busy listening to Henry tell them about a movie he watched the other day. You hide your phone underneath the table and flip it open to check._

_**Hey, how's dinner going? **_

_You wonder if they notice the smile on your face when you see it's from Regina. You quickly type a reply. _**Not too bad, am gonna tell them later**.

_**Really?**_

**Yes Gina really. Told u I would**

_**I know. **__You know she doesn't mean any harm, she's still scared that you and Henry are going to leave her but that most certainly isn't going to happen. You're hoping that the fact that you and Henry keep going over there every day will convince her that she is stuck with you. _

**Ok. Time to send Henry to bed then I'll talk to them.**

_**Okay. Tell Henry goodnight for me**_

**Will do babe. Love you**

_**I love you too. Good luck :) **_

_You smile before turning to Henry. "Come on kid, time for bed" he looks like he's about to protest but then he looks at your face and sees the nervousness and gets up. "Goodnight" _

"_I'll be up in a minute" Snow and Charming begin clearing up the dishes whilst you go up to Henry. _

"_Hey, you're mom says goodnight" _

_He smiles, "I knew you were texting under the table"_

"_Damn, thought I was being sneaky" _

_He laughs, "Goodnight Ma, good luck" _

"_Thanks kid," you tuck him in, "Goodnight"_

* * *

_You head back downstairs to see your parents sitting together on the sofa. Well time to face the music. "Hey guys, I need to talk to you about something" _

_They share a look. _

"_It's about Regina" _

"_Does it have something to do with why you and Henry were over there every night this week?" Snow asks in a scolding tone. _

_You look at her sheepishly "Yes, well you see next week Henry and I are going to move in with her"_

"_WHAT?!" they both yell and stare at you._

"_For the love of god, why?" Snow asks. _

"_Firstly because of Henry, he deserves to be with both of his parents and he misses her, plus at least he has his room there and there's space for all three of us, let's face it this apartment is rather small." Charming nods with a small smile. "And also I love her" wow, you think, great way of introducing that one, why not just blurt it out?! They are both staring at you open-mouthed. _

_Charming looks at you, "Are you sure Emma?" _

"_Yes" _

"_Does she love you?" _

"_Yes she does" _

"_Okay then" _

"_Really?" _

"_If you guys love each other I won't stand in your way. Besides I saw her while you were away in the Enchanted Forest, she really was trying to be better. Plus I've seen her around the stables and the animal shelter, she does seem happier"_

_You get up and hug him, "Thanks Dad"_

_Snow has not said anything. Charming looks at her and says "Snow?" _

_She looks at you, "Emma how can you do this?" _

_You stare at her, "What?" _

"_Emma, she's your step-grandmother?" _

_You laugh at that pitiful excuse, of all things you weren't expecting that, "Seriously? Is that even a relative? Plus do you really still see her as your mother?"_

_She hesitates before saying "No"_

"_And we aren't in anyway blood related?"_

"_No"_

"_So we can put that excuse in the bullshit pile?"_

"_She's still evil"_

"_Was Snow" _

"_Emma"_

"_No, I'm sorry Snow, you are so caught up in your ideas about good and evil. She's changed Snow. If she can put aside the vengeance and the past I think you can try as well" _

_She sighs clearly thinking this over. "Does she make you happy?"_

"_Yes" _

"_Fine, I'll try" _

"_Thank you"_

"_But be warned if she hurts you or Henry I still have my bow and arrows from the Enchanted Forest"_

"_And I have my sword"_

"_Wow thanks guys, I'm not sure that will be necessary but good to know I have your support. I also need your help on something else" _

_They look at you and listen as you clue them in on Operation Hide and Seek. Luckily they agree to help in the plan. You smile, this is all working out so far. You look at the clock and see that it's only 10 so Regina will still be awake._

"_Can you guys watch Henry?" _

_They nod. _

"_Okay thanks" you say before practically running down out the house and to your bug._

* * *

_You don't even knock, you just walk in through the front door and call "Regina?" _

_You hear footsteps and then see her walk out from the living room in pyjama bottoms and a jumper before she sees you and runs up to hug you. "Emma!" she exclaims before kissing you. "What are you doing here?" _

_Your hands cinch around her waist, "I just wanted to see you" she grins, "How did it go with the Charmings?"_

"_Surprisingly well. My dad stood up for you"_

"_Really?" _

"_Yep he said that he's seen you at the shelter and that he knows you're trying to change."_

"_What about Snow?"_

"_She says that as long as you make me happy then she will try, but be warned that if you hurt me my parents might come after you with weapons"_

"_Message received. So they're really okay with us?" _

"_Yes" _

_She looks down briefly, "You staying tonight?" _

_You grab her hand and lead her upstairs "Definitely"_

_She grins and follows you._

* * *

_She falls asleep in your arms with you drawing circles on her bare back, you pull the sheets up to cover her so she doesn't get cold. You feel her snuggle in closer to you as her head rests atop your chest. You smile. You wish you didn't have to wait a week and that you could spend every night snuggled up with this devastatingly gorgeous woman but you know that you've already set the date for next week and can't really shift it up now. You glance at the woman in your arms studying her face, the faint scar from last week's incident just barely hidden by a stray chocolate curl, the subtle upward curve of her lips as she settles into her dreams, the scar above her lip, what you love most though is how peaceful she looks. This is your home you think even if you aren't technically living here yet. You see the little blinking light on your phone and quickly reach over for it careful not to jostle Regina. You've missed a couple of texts, one from Henry asking how things went, the other is from Ruby, __**Hey Ems, we're all set for next week**__. You smile, now you just hope that the brunette will react well to what you have planned. Henry is quite adamant that this phase of Operation Hide and Seek will succeed. You absently stroke the other woman's hair who smiles contentedly in her sleep and hope that you don't end up letting him down. _


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Another quick chapter. There will probably be two/three more chapters of this if all goes to plan. To the anon who asked why it was all in italics, I honestly don't know why but due to OCD reasons I cannot change it now so sorry if it distracts you. This chapter is pretty much fluff. Hope you enjoy :)

"_Gina hurry up" you say, you're normally the relaxed one when it comes to punctuality but the brunette has been 'getting ready' for nearly an hour. You have a feeling that she is just stalling so go upstairs to see exactly what is taking so long. You go upstairs to see her sitting on the foot of the bed in her pyjama shirt, a black pencil skirt and with two different shoes on. She's pretty adorable when she's flustered but you really need her to get going._

_You crouch down in front of her and place a hand on her knee. "I know my parents said casual but even I think this outfit might be stretching it" _

_She gives a small laugh. "I don't know what to wear" _

_You look over at her massive closet, "Not enough clothes to choose from?" _

"_I just want things to be perfect for you" she says. _

_You smile. It's nice having someone who wants everything to be just right for you, you're not really used to it but you think it's something you can adjust to having in your life. You look up at her drawing circles on her knee with your thumb, "Regina, as long as you and Henry are there then it will be perfect, you could turn up in your jamas with rollers in your hair and I'd still be happy just because you were there with me" _

_She gives you one of her genuine bright happy smiles, they're your favourite ones because they light up her entire face and seem to make the years strip away. "I love you" she says._

"_Love you too" you lean up and kiss her before tapping her on the nose, "Now hurry up and pick something, I'm going to go check on Henry and we'll be waiting downstairs. 10 minutes babe" she rolls her eyes at you as she saunters into the closet. You leave and go down the hallway to find Henry._

* * *

_You knock on the door mindful of his privacy. "Henry? Can I come in?"_

"_Yeah" you walk in to see that he is already dressed and scouring through his fairy-tale book. _

"_Mom ready yet?"_

"_No, she will be soon I said we'd be waiting downstairs in 10 minutes, you ready to go?"_

"_Yeah, do Grandma and Grandpa know what they need to do?" _

"_Yes I filled them in the other night" hopefully they'll play their part right. _

"_Good, when is it happening?" _

"_Saturday" _

"_So the day after we move in"_

"_Yeah kid"_

"_Awesome, this is going to be the best weekend ever" _

"_I hope so Henry" you smile at him, "How come you've got the book out again?" _

"_I was just checking something"_

"_What?" _

_He gives you a cheeky smile, "I'll tell you when you're ready" _

_You let this one slide, "Fine kid, come on let's go downstairs" _

_You get to the door to see Regina already waiting, you see she ended up picking a simple red shirt and a black blazer to go with the skirt and then her boots, which you secretly love when she wears._

"_I thought we were in a rush?" she smirks._

_You smile at her, "We are, let's go"_

* * *

_You get to the door and hear Regina release a shaky breath. You reach for her hand and squeeze hoping that eases her nerves. _

_Charming opens the door and hugs you and Henry before turning to Regina._

"_Do you love my daughter?" this surprises you, you assumed that fairy-tale land etiquette probably saved these kind of confrontations for after you had let the person enter the apartment. Clearly you were wrong. _

_Regina is not as thrown off. "Yes I do" _

"_And you won't hurt her or Henry?"_

"_Never"_

"_Good" he says before pulling her into the most awkward hug you've ever seen. You wish you could take a picture of Regina's face as he pulls away. She looks as if she's been slapped by a fish. _

_Snow appears from the kitchen and also hugs you and Henry. "Regina" she says._

"_Snow"_

"_We need to talk" your mother says. You see Regina nod in agreement and open her mouth before Snow raises her hand, "but not now, tonight we shall just have a family dinner, tomorrow you and I will talk"_

_Regina considers this with a tilt of her head, only you seem to notice her rocking on her heels slightly, "those terms sound agreeable, lunch at Granny's?" she asks. _

"_Yes, right shall we eat?"_

_As you make your way to the table you grab the brunette's hand and smile at her, "You did great babe" you reassure. She looks at you, she doesn't need to ask the question that you know she wants to ask. "Yes I mean it and you did" she smiles at you as you sit down._

* * *

_Dinner is delicious. You can say a lot about Snow White but those fairy-tales missed one important thing; the woman knows how to cook a chicken. Even Regina agrees that this meal is excellent which surprises everyone around the table. You've become so used to the Regina you see at home, the carefree, playful, smiling Regina that you forget that most people haven't seen her. Hopefully, you think, that will change soon. _

_You look at Snow and Charming and wait for them to meet your gaze, you raise your eyebrow at them hoping they remember that this is your code signal, Henry felt the Operation needed codes, for them to start. _

"_Are you going to the town picnic Regina?" Snow asks having caught onto the signal before Charming._

_Regina looks confused having no idea what she's talking about. "Town picnic?" _

"_Yes" Charming confirms, "We thought it would be a nice idea to have a get together for town on Saturday" _

"_Oh" she says before looking at you clearly uncertain. _

_Henry breaks the silence that has formed, "Can we go Mom?" _

_She turns to you, "It's alright with me, you wanna go?" _

"_I'm sure people don't want me there, you two can go ahead." _

_Snow gives you a sad smile before looking over at Regina, "if we didn't want you there Regina why would we invite you?"_

_You smile gratefully at her. "Really?" Regina asks._

"_Really Regina" Charming adds, "It's for the whole town, you are part of the town plus I know Emma and Henry will probably just sit around moping if you don't come"_

_She smiles, "Moping?" _

_He smiles back, "Yes, two nights ago when we made them have dinner over here and Emma was like a lost puppy" _

_She laughs, "Well we can't have that. All right then, I'll come" _

_Henry gives you a thumbs up from across the table. Your parents made this part of the plan a success, you realise how lucky you are to have them now and their support. You smile at the fact that of all people Snow White and Prince Charming are the ones who have convinced the former Evil Queen to go along with the final part of your plan, even if she doesn't' know it yet. _


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Okay here's another chapter. We are fast approaching the end so thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing this. I shall probably update this on Sunday or Monday depending on how much essay work I get done. Hope you like this part :)

_You hear the excited running of Henry down the hall and groan. It's only 6 am plus since you and he decided to stay at Snow and Charmings before moving all your stuff in to the mansion you barely slept. Apparently your body, mind, whatever isn't able to go to sleep without Regina next to you. A small part of you, the part that used to run, is annoyed by the fact that you've become so dependent, the much larger part of you, your heart that you're letting guide you instead of your fear, takes this as a sign that what you're doing is totally 100% right. Your inability to sleep is proof that you need her, that you want her and if you can avoid it then sleeping somewhere that isn't beside her just isn't going to happen again. You wonder how Regina slept. Henry rushes in and shakes your shoulder._

"_Ma. Ma. Ma! Can we go yet?" his excitement makes you smile glad that he is looking forward to this as much as you are. _

_You sit up slowly, "Hold your horses kid, it's way too early, we haven't had breakfast, we need to wait for your grandparents to get up, plus your mom probably isn't awake yet" _

_He considers all of that for a moment, "Well we can have breakfast now, wake Grandma and Grandpa up and Mom probably is awake" _

_You laugh, "Henry, we can't wake them up yet okay?"_

"_Why?" _

"_Because, even though we both really want to go it would be selfish of us to wake them up this early, besides they're going to miss us so let's stick around until at least 10 so that we give them some time"_

"_But I want to go to our house" he practically whines._

_You pull him in for a quick hug, "Me too Henry but sometimes we have to think about other people and what is good for them not just us, you know like how we had to change Operation Hide and Seek so that we could make things better for her, not just for us" _

_He pauses thinking this over, "Okay, I guess that makes sense. I just want to be living with her, the three of us, as a family over there. It's going to be so awesome"_

_You feel your heart swell with happiness just at the thought of the three of you under one roof being a family. Yeah, you and he have been around there pretty much every day but today it will be official. It will be permanent and yeah Henry's right, it's going to be awesome. _

"_I know Henry, look why don't you try and go back to sleep for another hour or so?" _

_He rubs his eyes a little and says "Okay Ma, I'm coming back in an hour" he walks back to his room. Somehow you don't doubt that he will indeed be back in exactly an hour. You wonder if he's right about Regina being awake yet._

Hey you awake yet?

Yes, I'm guessing you are too.

Henry alarm clock :)

Of course, when are you coming over?

Henry wanted to come now but I'm thinking we'll leave here around 10 if that's okay?

Yes, that's definitely okay :) wish you were coming earlier.

U miss me?

Yes.

I miss you too Gina. Had a crappy night's sleep.

Eloquently put. Me too.

_You take a glance at the clock, you need to get up and get dressed before Henry comes rushing in here again. _ I need to get ready now. I love you :) see ya later

Love you too.

_You smile glad that she's willing to be so open with you even over text. You heave yourself out of bed with a grin on your face. Today's going to be a good day._

* * *

_Turns out it really didn't take as long as you thought to move all of your stuff into the mansion. With the help of Snow and Charming you were done by 11am. They had lunch with you there, you can tell Regina would rather have just been with you and Henry but she invited them, you smiled proudly at her when she offered because it you know it meant that for you, she was trying. _

_Lunch passed smoothly. Not only was Regina polite but so was Snow even though you could tell it was an effort for her, but that just made you smile more. A couple of years ago you were alone in a crappy apartment. Now you have a son, a girlfriend, a family, you have people willing to make an effort you and people you would make an effort for. _

_After they left, Regina practically flew into your arms before kissing you leaving you breathless until you both heard a rather loud "Ew" from Henry. She pulled away slightly from you to apologise to Henry before saying "I missed you". You smile, "It was only one night Gina". "One night too many" she says. _

"_God you guys are sappy" Henry groans. _

_She leans over and pulls Henry close so that you're in a three-way hug. "Sorry honey, but is it such a crime that I love you and your ma here?" _

"_I guess not" he grins, "Love you too mom, I'm glad I'm back living here, I missed you" _

"_I missed you too" you lean over and brush away the tears that have escaped her eyes. _

"_Hey kid, why don't you go pick out a movie for us all to watch while I talk to your mom for a second?" _

_He nods before rushing off into the living room. _

_You wipe away a few more tears, "You okay baby?" _

_She smiles, "Yes, these are happy tears Emma" she says wrapping her arms around your neck, "I'm really glad you're both living here now" _

_You smile back at her before kissing her gently and placing your hands on her waist, "Me too" you smile playfully before adding "And now you're stuck with us since we're not going anywhere Gina" _

_She mock groans at you "How horrible" she laughs. You laugh back before kissing her again. _

_Henry interrupts you, "Guys, movie?" _

"_Alright kid, what are we watching?" _

"_Monsters Inc" _

"_Jeez Regina do you own anything that isn't a Pixar movie?" _

"_Pixar movies are brilliant Emma and are perfect for young children" _

"_Got any of the fairytale ones?"_

_She smirks and rolls her eyes, "I've seen them, can't say I was too impressed since most of them are highly inaccurate" _

_You smile and shake your head as you follow her into the living room._

* * *

_After what can only be described as a marathon of animation Henry eventually conks out. You look over to Regina and see that she is also pretty much asleep on your shoulder. You look between the two of them and smile. This is what family feels like, you think. Your phone vibrates and you pick it up before carefully getting up off the sofa and walking into the hallway._

"Hey Ruby"

"Hey Emma, how'd it go today?"

"Great"

"Why are you whispering?"

"Henry and Gina are asleep, I'm trying not to wake them"

"Aw that is so sweet"

"Shut up Rubes" you say rolling your eyes "What's up?"

"Just checking we're all set for tomorrow?"

"Yep, everyone knows the plan, Snow and Charming invited Regina, she said yes,"

"Great, does she know what she's said yes to yet?"

"No" you take a quick glance to make sure you're still alone, "as far as she knows it's just a town picnic"

"You better hope she reacts well, I'd hate for you to end up on the couch so soon after moving in"

"Thanks Rubes, I think it'll be fine"

"If you say so. Night Ems"

"Night, hey Ruby thanks for your help"

"No problem Emma, see you tomorrow"

"See you tomorrow"

_You hang up, hoping that Regina does react to tomorrow as well as you hope. You think she will but hey you never can tell. Speaking of you decide you really should get her and Henry up into their beds rather than leaving them on the couch. You pick Henry up first and carry him into his room, he stirs as you place him in the bed._

"_Ma" he whispers. _

"_Hey kid". _

"_What's going on?"_

"_You fell asleep kid so bedtime" _

_He frowns before yawning, "Alright, Ma today was the best day ever" _

"_Really kid, ever?"_

"_Yep, you me and Mom got to spend it together watching movies, that makes it awesome"_

"_I think you're right Henry, you all ready for tomorrow?" _

"_Yep, is everyone else ready?"_

"_Yeah kid, sleep tight, good night"_

"_Night Ma"_

* * *

_You head back downstairs to see Regina fast asleep resting her head on her arm. You turn off the TV and DVD player and clean up the mess left behind by homemade pizza and popcorn before scooping the brunette up in your arms. She stirs lightly in your arms as you walk into your bedroom. You smile. Your bedroom. Your house. Never have those words felt as good as they do right now. _

"_Emma" she murmurs groggily._

"_Hey"_

"_Did I miss the end?" _

_You laugh, "It was The Incredibles, Gina, I think you know the end" _

"_I like the end" she grumbles petulantly. _

_You smile, "Well maybe you'll catch it another time, come on babe let's get some sleep. I know I could do with a good night's rest"_

"_Yeah?" _

_You nod, "For some strange reason I couldn't sleep last night" you say playfully knowing she'll understand the reason why._

"_Me too, what a strange coincidence" she grins. _

_You lean down and kiss her gently before laying down on the bed with her still in your arms. "Love you Gina" _

"_Mm love you too" she mumbles before falling asleep on your chest. _

_You grin, glad to be falling asleep in a house different to the one you woke up in. Here is where your family is. You look down at Regina and smile hoping that tomorrow goes as well as you hope it does. After all you'd hate to end up on the couch so soon. _


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Hello everyone, this is I think the longest chapter and after this there will be one small epilogue chapter. I hope you all like how this turned out. I apologise if there are any mistakes but if there are we shall blame them on my battered hip. A big thank you to everyone who has followed, read and reviewed this story.

_You wake up to an empty bed and frown before the smell of bacon hits your nose. Yum bacon! Always a good way to start the day, you look at the clock and see that it's half 8, early for you, late for her. You do a quick calculation in your head. You have two and a half hours before it's time to face the music. Plenty of time for a family breakfast you think as you wander down the stairs._

* * *

_You get downstairs to see Regina in a pair of pyjama bottoms and one of your tank tops. Bacon and Regina in your clothes = best morning ever. You slide behind her and kiss her gently, "Morning". "Good morning, would you like ketchup in your sandwich?" _

"_Sandwich?" you look at her confused._

"_Bacon sandwich Emma" Henry chimes in._

"_Oh. Morning kid" you ruffle his hair, sit down next to him and turn your attention back to the brunette, "Ketchup please"_

_She smiles at you before placing a perfectly made and presented bacon sandwich in front of Henry. _

"_Are you okay with bacon sandwiches? You were still asleep so I let Henry decide what we ate"_

_You smile at the fact that she a) let you sleep in and b) is actually concerned as to whether or not what she cooks is alright with you. God, this woman is perfect. "Absolutely" you smile at her before reaching for the coffee pot and pouring you and her mugs. She places a bacon sandwich in front of you before sitting next to you and beginning to nibble her own sandwich. _

"_Hey mom you looking forward to the picnic today?" _

_She smiles up at him hesitantly, he doesn't notice, "Yes it should be fun" you can sense the trepidation but Henry is both too excited about today and too absorbed with his sandwich to see it. "It's gonna be awesome Mom"_

"_Yeah Gina it really is, everything will be fine" you say reaching for her hand which she squeezes in a silent thanks. _

"_I know" she says. She clear her throat a little, "Henry if you're finished why don't you go get dressed?" _

_He nods before taking his plate to the sink. He smiles at you as he leaves. "Are you nervous?" you say to her as Henry leaves. She nods, "Snow and Charming said it's for the whole town and let's face it I'm not exactly the most well-liked person in Storybrooke."_

_You turn her and pull her onto your lap, wrapping your arms around her. She rests her head against yours, you lean up and kiss her, "Listen what you did in the past was bad, I'm not going to deny that but it's time to move forward. Nobody is going to hurt you Regina, I'd never let that happen. We are going, you, me and Henry to this picnic as a family and no matter how scared you get I would never leave you and I would never let anyway hurt you"_

_She smiles, "I know, I love you so much Emma, just please don't leave me alone again like at that welcome home party"_

"_What?" you ask confused._

"_You invited me to that party but nobody talked to me, everyone just ignored me Emma, that's why I left" _

"_Oh" now you understand, "Don't worry, I'll be with you the entire time okay?" you ask tilting her head up a little. She nods "Okay, we should probably go get dressed" _

"_We could go in our jamas" you smile, "By the way I love that you're wearing my clothes"_

_She blushes, "I'll admit that they are surprisingly comfortable"_

"_Told ya so" you grin taking her upstairs._

* * *

_She grumbles and moans as you go downstairs. After much cajoling you got her to wear jeans and borrow one of your long sleeved t-shirts. For today she needs comfy clothes not mayoral pencil skirts and heels. "Relax Regina, you look great as usual "_

"_I look ridiculous" she huffs._

"_Regina, you look fine, it's a picnic not a conference which means casual clothes" _

"_Fine"_

"_Stop sulking" you say playfully, "Now you just need to put sneakers on"_

"_Emma, sneakers really? Can I not wear heels?"_

"_No, it's a picnic in the park, not really the place for heels" _

"_Fine. I hate you" she says petulantly lacing up her shoes._

"_Yeah, love you too Gina" you grin._

_Henry bounds down into the hallway. "Can we go now?"_

"_Hold on kid, we've just got to wait for your mom to stop sulking and finish getting ready"_

"_I was not sulking" Regina says walking up to the pair of you._

"_If you say so, now come on the bug awaits"_

_She groans, "Can't we take my car?"_

_You smile at her, "Nope"_

* * *

_As you get closer to the park you can feel your nerves building in your stomach. Time for the moment of truth, you think as you pull up. You can feel Regina staring at you. "Emma what's going on?"_

_You turn to her trying to play innocent, "What do you mean?" _

_She points to Ruby who is standing next to a rather obvious scoreboard with a list of couples on it. You internally roll your eyes, you had hoped they would position that a little more subtly but oh well. _

_Ruby bounds over to you, "Hey guys, you're here, you too are already on the board "she says gesturing to you and Regina, "and Henry you're on my team"_

"_Awesome" he grins, "We are so gonna win, we need to discuss strategy"_

"_Sure thing kid" they walk off leaving you to deal with a thoroughly confused Regina._

"_Emma, seriously what is going on? What team?" _

_Right, you take a breath. "Okay, this isn't a picnic" _

_She raises a brow at you and looks around noticing a distinct lack of picnic ware. "What is it then?"_

"_Don't get mad at me okay and promise you'll listen to the whole explanation" she's beginning to look worried, "Why would I be mad?" _

_Before you can answer Snow and Charming come up to you, "You guys ready to play?" Charming says. You glare at him. Regina just scowls, "What?" _

_They realise you haven't actually told her yet. "We'll let Emma explain" Snow says before pulling Charming, who still does not realise his blunder, away._

"_Emma" she says impatiently, "What is happening here?" _

"_Operation Hide and Seek" you say. Her face falls, "What?"_

_You put a hand up, "Let me explain it okay" you can see her about to run, you grab her hands to stop her, "Listen to me Regina, Henry and I wanted to get you to play Hide and Seek so we came up with a mission to make you play. But then, you remember you told me the reason why you didn't want to play" she nods, "Well after that I realised we needed to change the plan because to start with it was about us and that was wrong because it should have been about you all along. And now it is, I'm never going to leave you behind Regina and I need you to believe that. I also need to think about what Henry wants and babe he wants a family and to be able to play Hide and Seek. I realised that the mission did both, it gave us our family Gina but to make it a full success I still had to get you to play, but not for me and not for Henry, but for you. You don't need to be scared Regina. It took me a while but I figured out a way we could play without you being alone, team Hide and Seek." You pause for breath, "I talked to Ruby, I talked to my parents and hell I talked to everyone in town and this came together, it's a town game Gina where we play in pairs. They all came here today Regina for you. This day, this game is all for you Regina. We can play as a family, together Regina"_

_You look at her and see tears running down her face. "Regina?" you ask worried. _

"_You did all this for me?" she whispers._

_You nod. _

_She gives you a smile so hard you think her face might just burst, she wraps her arms around you and kisses you "No-one has ever done anything like this for me Emma, nobody has ever cared. But you, you got everyone here today just to get me to play?" You node again, "I love you Gina and if something scares you or upsets you then I am going to fix it" _

"_I love you" she says trying to wipe the tears off her face, "I love you so much. Thank you for today Emma. Thank you for doing all of this. Operation Hide and Seek?" you nod again. "You made a whole operation for me. Just to play a game. Thank you so much."_

"_You're not mad?" you ask._

_She shakes her head, "Emma you gave me a family and you rallied a town full of people I cursed just to get me to play Hide and Seek. I've never had somebody care that much about you. Other than the day I got Henry, this is the best surprise I've ever had"_

_You smile at her and wipe away the remaining tears on her face with your thumb "So you wanna play?"_

_She gives you a beaming smile before hesitantly asking "You'll stay with me?" _

_You grab her hand, "The whole time, we're a team okay? The second you feel like you don't want to play anymore or if you get scared, we'll stop okay" _

"_Okay" she nods, "Okay we can play" _

_You grab her face in your hands and kiss her "Brilliant, come on let's win this thing" _

_She grins as you walk over to Ruby and Henry._

"_So you ready?" Ruby asks._

_You nod, before Regina suddenly steps forward and clears her throat before addressing the people gathered at the park, "I just want to thank you all for coming today" _

"_Not a problem" Charming says. _

_She smiles at him, "Well thank you anyway, I hope you all have fun" _

"_We will" Leroy says standing next to Astrid, "You're going down Your Majesty" _

_She grins at him "We'll see"_

* * *

_Two hours later and you and Regina are crouched down underneath a picnic table, it's cramped and uncomfortable but you couldn't care less. You got her to play; you're both having fun even if your asses are being completely kicked by Ruby and Henry. You'll admit that you might have forgotten about the whole wolf-sense thing when assigning teams and inviting her to play. _

"_Hey" you whisper squeezing Regina's hand, she might have agreed to play but in the two hours you've played she hasn't let go "you okay?"_

_She smiles at you before whispering back, "Yes, thank you for this Emma, I'd forgotten how fun this game was" _

"_And have you been left behind?" _

_She rolls her eyes at you, "No, thank you Emma for helping me not be scared" _

"_Anytime"_

"_Are Ruby and Henry still winning?"_

"_Yeah I think using wolf-senses though has got to count as cheating" _

"_Sadly not dear, it's not like she can really help it anyway. Perhaps next time you just make it larger teams and you convince her to be on ours" _

"_Next time?" _

_She nods, "We better win this next time Emma though" _

_You laugh "I'm sure we will" _

_She laughs back, unfortunately her timing is insanely bad as she does just as Snow and Charming, who are seeking this time, come past._

"_We found you" Snow cheers._

"_We will always find you" Charming adds._

_You groan, you should have known that this game would make them say their infuriating catchphrase but still so cheesy. You look to Regina who at their arrival rolls her eyes and cringes._

"_Ready to seek?" She nods as the pair of you ease out from under the table._

"_Well done guys, now go hide, we'll start counting" you say. You wait for them to leave. _

"_Who do you want to go after first?" you ask._

_She thinks this over, "Let's hunt down Archie"_

"_Really?"_

"_We'll call it revenge for all of the annoying therapy exercises"_

"_They did help Gina, plus he's with Granny, they'll be impossible to find" _

"_Oh Emma, they have no idea what we're capable of" she smirks._

_You share her shit-eating grin, "Alright then. Granny and Archie it is"_

* * *

_You don't win the game. Unsurprising Ruby and Henry do, though you suspect most of their victory is down to Ruby. Their victory prize is a massive cake that Granny made which is great for Henry but means that you and Regina are going to be dealing with an insanely hyper Henry now. The entire town ends up back at the diner talking about the game. You, Henry, Regina, Snow and Charming all end up in a booth. _

"_Hey kid, I know you won but I don't think you have to eat the entire cake in one sitting" _

"_It's delicious" he mumbles._

"_Still Henry, it's very unhealthy and perhaps you could slow down" Regina adds. _

"_Fine" he says pushing away his plate. _

"_Don't worry kid" Charming says, "I'm sure the cake will still be good tomorrow" _

"_I guess"_

_You all laugh at his sullenness over a cake. "Aren't you supposed to share it with Ruby?" Snow asks._

"_I said he could have it" Ruby says placing down their food. "Even if I had to do most of the work"_

"_I still uphold that wolf-senses should not be allowed in Hide and Seek" you add. _

"_Sore loser" Henry mocks. _

_You laugh, "Whatever kid, my plan was still a success"_

"_Our plan" he says._

"_Surely it's all of our plan since you roped in the whole town" Ruby chimes in. _

_Regina laughs beside you, "Are you going to share credit dear?" _

"_They helped, but I came up with the initial plan" _

"_Well you should still thank them for their help"_

_You roll your eyes, "Fine, Ruby get everyone a beer, well except the children, get them sodas" _

"_Okay Ems" she goes off to grab everyone a drink. _

_Once everyone is settled with a drink, Leroy asks if anyone is going to make a toast. _

_You look at Regina, you look at Henry, you look at your parents beaming at you proudly, you look at the town that has gathered because you asked them to help the woman you love. You stand, pulling Regina up with you. "Okay, well even though we lost the game, I am still calling today a great victory because you all helped me trick my girl here into playing Hide and Seek" laughter ripples through the room. "Be careful, Miss Swan, would hate to have to banish you to our couch" she whispers. You smile at her, "I would like to say a huge thank you to you all for your help because I couldn't have pulled this off without you, I'd like to say an extra thanks to Henry, Ruby and my Mom and Dad for setting this all up, but most of all I just want to make a toast to Operation Hide and Seek"_

"_Operation Hide and Seek" everyone cheers and you and Regina sit down._

"_I love you" she says._

"_Love you too"_


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Okay well this is the end and it is just pure fluff. I'd like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed and basically stuck with this story, you guys are awesome :) I apologise for any mistakes and hope you enjoy this final chapter.

_(Two weeks later)_

_You have created a monster. Since that town game, two weeks ago you have been roped into playing Hide and Seek on eight different days. It turns out that Regina, not surprisingly is super competitive, and so is Henry, and they both want to play as often as possible. This makes you smile because it means your mission was absolutely a success. _

_Admittedly Regina won't actually play by herself and insists on being on a team with either you or Henry, you've not managed to get her to hide or seek on her own but you're working on that. Hey, at least she's playing. You, she and Henry ended up setting aside today for some sort of massive marathon game, you had no idea when Henry suggested this morning over apple pancakes, somehow you making breakfast on a Saturday has ended up tradition, playing Hide and Seek that you would wind up playing for nearly 6 hours. You finish counting and prepare yourself to hunt down the two brunettes. The mansion is ridiculously hard to play this game in, it doesn't help that the pair of them seem to be absolutely geniuses at finding sneaky places to hide away in. _

_You smile to yourself as you begin hunting through the living room. This isn't exactly the life you imagined having, all those years ago in foster care, but it's way better than you ever thought it could be. This, having fun with your son and your girlfriend who loves you, playing around with your family on a lazy Saturday is just so much better than anything you could possibly have dreamed up of when you were a kid. _

_It takes you twenty minutes to fully search through the ground floor as well as the basement since your house now is just so big. It amazes you that so soon after moving in this place feels like home, you a woman who used to pride herself on her ability to run and her lack of stability found a home, admittedly the first few days it was strange to have so much space but with the other two living here with you it feels right. You begin your way up the stairs, part of you hoping that they've chosen to hidden somewhere simple but you doubt you'll be that lucky. _

_You finally find Henry hiding in the cupboard underneath the sink in yours and Regina's bathroom. "Found you" you laugh before realising something. "Hey kid, where's your mom?" _

_He practically beams at you, "I got her to hide by herself"_

_You smile and ruffle his hair, "How did you get her to do that?"_

"_Puppy eyes and I bet her that you would find her first"_

_You grin proudly, "I guess you lost kid" you smile to yourself, he got her to do this on her own. "Good job though Henry"_

_He smiles back, "Yep Operation Hide and Seek is a success!" he says excitedly._

"_Sure is kid, now I guess this means you and your mom can play by yourself"_

"_We'll still make you play as well Ma"_

_You heart warms in your chest, you have a family, you have people who want to spend time with you and include you in things even if it is just Hide and Seek. "Okay kid; let's go find your Mom, where do you think she'll be?"_

* * *

_After searching through the rest of the upstairs you are thoroughly confused, where the hell is she? _

"_Hey kid, a little help here please?" _

_He thinks for a moment, tilting his head and scrunching his brow in a very Regina-like way, "Have you looked in the garden?" _

_You smile, "You're a genius kid" _

"_I know" _

_You roll your eyes at him before wandering outside and into the garden. You look around but cannot see her so decide to try the shed. Nothing. "Regina?" you call. Silence. Okay, you think, if I were Regina where would I hide? Suddenly an idea hits you and you wonder how you didn't think of it before._

_You get to the bottom of the tree and begin to climb before settling yourself in a branch. You look to your left before poking a giggling brunette in the side, "Found you" you smile. _

_She smiles back at you, "Took your time Emma" she laughs. _

_You cautiously wrap an arm around her careful not to fall out of the tree, "So you hid by yourself?" _

"_Our son is a master blackmailer. Did I beat him?" _

_You laugh before kissing her, "Yeah babe you beat him, I'm proud of you" _

_She smiles nervously, "Yeah?" _

"_Yes Gina, though admittedly when we say Hide and Seek I thought we meant inside the house" _

_She smirks at you, "Well we never said that dear"_

"_That's just sneaky" _

"_Evil Queen Emma" _

_You tap her on the nose, "You're not that bad"_

_She smiles, "I love you Em" _

"_Love you too Gina" you smile back and kiss her again. _

"_If you two are done kissing in a tree can we watch a movie?!" you share a laugh at Henry's interruption before Regina hops out of the tree, "I won Henry so it's my choice" _

"_No fair, you hid outdoors!" _

_You follow them back into the house laughing as they bicker over who won before they both turn to you, "Emma, who do you think won?" _

"_Can't we call it a tie?" _

"_No" they both say._

_You chuckle, "Well surely I won since I found both of you"_

"_That wasn't our bet though Ma, so come on pick!" Henry insists._

"_Well kid, I love you I do, but you did lose the bet" _

"_She hid outside" _

"_Did you say she couldn't?" you raise a brow hoping he'll let his mother have this one._

"_Fine" he rolls his eyes "Mom you win." _

_She fist-pumps the air in victory. _

"_Congratulations Gina" you say and hug her. Henry joins in, "Yeah mom, congratulations" _

_She smiles before saying "We're watching The Incredibles" _

_You roll your eyes, "Again?" _

"_If you remember dear I missed the end last time" _

_Henry grins at the back and forth between you and Regina. "The Incredibles is awesome Ma" you smile, finding that you don't care what the three of you watch as long as you're all doing it together. _

"_Okay, The Incredibles it is, but I'm ordering pizza for dinner" _

_Henry mock rolls his eyes at you, "If we must" _

_You smile at him. _

"_Hey Mom, can we play again tomorrow?" _

_You groan, "Really kid again? Are you not all Hide and Seeked out yet?" _

"_Nope" _

"_It is fun Emma, thanks for making me play again" _

"_Are you going to seek by yourself if we play?" _

"_I bet I'll find you faster than you found us today" she grins at you. _

_You laugh "We'll see" before pulling her close so her head rests on your shoulders, Henry on the floor between you as you watch the movie. You sneak a glance at the two of them and think back over the past few weeks. You smile as you look at your family and you think of the fun you had today, yeah Operation Hide and Seek was a huge success you think as you settle in for pizza and animated superheroes. _


End file.
